Marriage of convenience
by Sine amore nihil est vita
Summary: Narcissa is an unruly princess who hates that she lives in a man's world because she is married off by her father for strategic gains. Lucius is a jaded king who only accepts so he can use her to break a curse. Will love ever arise between these two royals? Or will mere duty govern their relationship? Old-timey tale.


**I love fantasy old timey tales with kings and queens. I love the Harry Potter series with all its magical glory. So an idea came to merge the two worlds! Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

A solitary but very large and heavily fortified kingdom sat perched on top of a monstrously tall cliff. It stood ancient and proud against the night sky while being surrounded by the wild sea down below. Inside the kingdom the air was still and silent and a cloaked young women was stalking through the lower town which sat in the shadow of a great castle. With fast and stealth footsteps, she weaved through the deserted streets. However, all too soon the sound of clanking metal altered her to an imminent arrival. Immediately she ducked into a nearby alleyway and a moment later through the dimly lit street she saw a pair of guards passing.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she placed a hand over her heart. It was hammering away in her chest. With shaky fingers the young women drew the hood of her cloak lower in an attempt to further hide her face. It was imperative that no one recognised her. After another minute of hearing no further movement the young women inched forward until she was at the mouth of the narrow alleyway. She peered from side to side but there was no one around. The coast was clear so she was quick to move.

Thankfully the journey towards the stable was uneventful. There had been a few close calls but she had arrived safely. However, this did not afford the young women any comfort. She still felt uneasy but forced herself to ignore the feeling and enter the stables. The winged horses were all settled in their respective pens. Some looked up with curious eyes but it was only her own steed that did not break eye contact when the rest had lost interest.

For the first time a smile broke across the young women's face as she reached her steed and placed a hand on the mare's wet nose.

"Ah Pandora," the women cooed, stroking the winged horse. How was it that this animal was the only one who truly cared for her?

Her faithful steed merely pushed at her hand urging her to move. The young women merely nodded. She quickly opened the stable door and went to search for her satchel in the hay. Her hands blindly combed through the piles of straw. _Where is it? Where are you?_

Pandora remained patiently still as the young women continued to search. Her heart had picked up an even faster pace though as she became more desperate. _It was right here! It has to be here!_

Suddenly Pandora began to neigh and whiny. The sound attracted her attention but it was too late for arms shot around her own. The young women screamed out and quickly began to fight.

"You are under arrest Princess Narcissa," A voice said from behind her.

"NOOO!" Narcissa screamed. Why had the bells not rung if they knew her missing? It could have warned Narcissa. Pandora became furious at her master's distress and so began to kick violently.

The guard had the sense to shut the stable door and pull Narcissa out of the stables by her arm.

Narcissa continued to scream at the top of her lungs as she thrashed against their tight hold.

By now another guard had arrived and grabbed Narcissa by her free arm.

"LET ME GO!" Narcissa shouted over and over again.

Suddenly things began to explode around her. The two guards were undeterred though as they were protected from her volatile magic. In response Narcissa changed tact and tried to kick and bite them. However, she failed miserably for she couldn't reach them and they were just too strong.

The night sky witnessed Narcissa being forcefully escorted away from the royal stables and up towards the citadel. Although the streets had initially been empty due to the late hour, all the commotion had roused some curious people to come out of their homes.

Narcissa continued to struggle against the guards therefore she did not notice that the majority of the bystanders were casting her disapproving looks. They felt little empathy for their unruly princess.

It wasn't long before Narcissa was hauled back into the castle and up the many hallways. The guards did not stop marching until they arrived at a chamber that was not her own. They shoved her inside without skipping a beat and the heavy oak door slammed shut behind her. The sound vibrated throughout the chamber. Narcissa reacted immediately and jumped for the door knob. Her hands closed around it but no matter how much or how hard she tugged and twisted, the door would not open. It was evidently locked already. Narcissa's attempts were futile.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Narcissa screamed as she banged her fists against the wood. "I WILL HAVE YOU THROWN INTO THE DUNGEONS FOR THIS!"

Despite her words, Narcissa knew that this was impossible, for the guards were under her father's command. He had ordered them to get her.

Even knowing this though, Narcissa still continued to rage against her door. However, it was a manic kick and the resulting pain that finally made her stop.

"Damn it," Narcissa cursed as she clutched her foot.

Light tears stung Narcissa's eyes as she hobbled towards the bed to sit down. The princess tried to ease the pain by rubbing her foot and eventually she succeeded.

There was a bitter taste in Narcissa's mouth for she had failed in her mission. This had been her last ditch attempt to escape her fate and she had blown it. Well it had been sabotaged because Narcissa knew that her satchel had been in the stables. Someone had removed it and as such had discovered her plan.

Tears leaked freely from Narcissa's eyes for she would soon be taken to the Malfoy kingdom.

"Damn it," the princess whispered.

{}{}{}

In the grandest kingdom in the Slytherin realm, Lucius was festering for he was trapped in a small stuffy chamber room, surrounded by his advisory council. They were all talking at once.

"She is beyond the perfect candidate," a council men said as he propped up his glasses.

"Yes. She is from one of the oldest and wealthiest pure blood families," a voice added, "And like yours, her family is one of the scared twenty-eight."

"Lucius you must wed her," another piped up, "You are the sole heir and you are in need of an heir of your own, to ensure the succession of the Malfoy line."

Lucius rubbed his temples hard as he sat at the head of the long table and listened to his council harp on. The group of old men were grating on his nerves. There was not a single moment in the day where they did not want to bash him over the head with every little concern as well as any potential future problem that his kingdom could face.

Suddenly the heavy oak doors swung open and a wall of muscle appeared. Lucius looked up to see a 6 foot 3 man clad in leather and light armor, barely fit through the doorway. The man was built like a Viking and had various scabbards holding blades and a sword strapped to his hips and back. By now the room had fallen silent.

Lucius found his lips twitching into a smile. He suppressed his mirth though as he faced the commander of his personal guard.

The man inclined his head. "Your Majesty."

Lucius nodded. "Kaito."

Kaito instantly entered the room and made his way towards Lucius.

In turn Lucius faced his council, who were all looking at him. "You are dismissed," he announced then.

One doddery old man, with a thick white beard dared to protest. "But your majesty we-"

A pointed look from Lucius was enough to make the man snap his jaw shut. The room fell silent once again.

The council, not wishing to push their luck, quickly rose and shuffled out.

"Why do you not let things lie, Gaius?" a council man whispered to the bearded old man as they left.

Lucius's nodded his head in agreement. Gaius had always presented the biggest nuisance to him. The old man had been a thorn in Lucius's side ever since he had succeeded his father to become king.

Lucius turned his attention back to Kaito then. "What business has brought you here?" he asked the commander.

Kaito inclined his head. "Unfortunately the same as your advisers."

Lucius allowed a heavy sigh to escape his lips but he gestured to the chair opposite him. "What news do you bring?"

Kaito sat and immediately reached for the pitcher of ale. He offered it to Lucius who shook his head in response therefore the commander poured himself a drink.

"King Cygnus Black has provided me with the terms of the marriage contract, "Kaito began, "He is eager for the alliance."

Lucius rolled his eyes. It was well known that Cygnus was an ambitious leech and that he craved power.

Kaito cocked an eyebrow, in amusement then. "Are you aware that you are in need of this union just as much as he is? You must, since I don't see any heirs running around or any further strategic strengthening to your lands."

Lucius smirked at the one man in the kingdom, who dared to challenge him.

"Ofcourse I do. I do not have to wade through your slag heap of sarcasm to know," Lucius retorted.

Kaito allowed a small smile to appear on his lips as he took a swing of ale.

Lucius became pensive then. "What are your thoughts on the matter?" he asked after a time.

Kaito set down his tankard then and rubbed his chin. "It is a greatly beneficial prospect for both parties," the commander started, "King Black will gain safe passage through your lands to the neighbouring western regions and you will gain access to the sea."

Lucius merely nodded in affirmation.

"Both realms will be brought together and become strengthened and as a result the potential threat from the Gryffindors will weaken," Kaito continued, "Furthermore the princess is young, pretty and she has the purest blood that you can find. She is a rare thing for there are few with pure blood these days…even in the Slytherin kingdoms the numbers are not what they use to be."

Lucius grunted a little. "Indeed you are right but for all this, it is, I who will be saddled with an almighty headache that will last a life time."

"Yes. The princess does sound like a handful," Kaito confirmed and for the first time he hesitated. "…And you will have to face the curse," he added, carefully in a low voice, "Above everything else we have discussed this is why you truly need her."

Lucius ran a hand roughly through his hair. How could he forget? "I would like to curse, vengeful women," Lucius muttered.

Kaito offered a nod. "It has been said that your great great great grandmother was a spiteful woman."

Lucius pressed his lips together tightly as he recalled the tale.

She had indeed put a curse upon the males of the Malfoy family. A curse which ensured that any male Malfoy would not produce heirs of magical blood unless he managed to make his wife submit to him. In addition to this and of far more importance, the curse would ensure that Lucius's own magic would weaken and weaken, lest he make his wife submit.

Lucius felt his jaw clench then. _It is a mission I would prefer to avoid._

Kaito sensed the tension that had stolen into the room so he offered a distraction. "Here is something that will amuse you," Kaito started.

Lucius broke from his annoyance to glance at Kaito.

The commander continued. "Your soon-to- be bride, does not even possess a wand."

This caused Lucius to frown in annoyance rather than be amusemed. "How so?"

Kaito took another swig of ale. "King Black never gave her one as a form of retaining control," he enlightened," As a child the princess showed advanced magic but she was rebellious which did not please the king…especially after the actions of his eldest daughter."

Lucius scoffed. "Yes running off with a muggle." He then frowned again. "Well this princess sounds as useless as her sister."

Kaito cocked an eyebrow. "You miss understand," the commander stated, "Unbeknownst to the princess and the majority of the wizarding world, she has been using wandless magic her entire life. Although she cannot utter a spell with words due to her lack of a wand, her magic is linked to her emotions and it is strong…very few know of this, just like very very few know of your predicament."

Lucius felt his forehead crease. "What else about her?"

Kaito shrugged. "The princess has not had siblings for a quite some time. When she was 4 years of age her eldest sister was banished from the Black kingdom and when the princess reached 8 years of age, her other sister was shipped off to the kingdom of Lestrange."

Lucius sighed against the barrage of information. "I require a drink now," he stated.

Kaito's momentary smile was back as he filled a tankard for his king.

The commander raised his own tankard then. "To simpler times."

Lucius grimaced as he threw back his ale.


End file.
